Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c9.s40.1

c9.s40.1

The administrative organisation of the Mauryan state is described by Megasthenes under three heads : (1) rural administration, (2) city administration and (3) military administration¹. The distinction between town and country for administrative purposes was well established in Indian polity, as is clear from the constant references to *paura* and *jānapada* in literature ; and as the Mauryan empire was the nearest approach to a war-state ever attained in India, army administration attracted the special attention of an observer of the type of Megasthenes. The picture he presents is that of a highly organised and efficient bureaucracy engaged in regulating activities in almost every important sphere of national life.